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Overnite Strike Broadens

Workers at two more Overnite terminals have joined a Teamsters strike protesting unfair labor practices.

Yesterday morning, workers at Overnite's Miami and New Orleans terminals joined a strike begun Monday by workers at terminals in Kansas City, Memphis, Indianapolis, Atlanta, North Atlanta and Marietta, GA. Workers in Marietta ended their walkout less than a day after it began.The Teamsters reported that approximately 1,430 Overnite workers were on the picket lines at the seven terminals yesterday.The Teamsters have been trying to organize Overnite, the largest non-union trucking company, for decades. About 40% of Overnite's dock workers and truck drivers are unionized, compared to about 14% of the company's overall workforce. The union says Overnite has waged a campaign of intimidation aimed at union members and organizers.While Overnite says a strike contingency plan put into place has meant no delays in deliveries, Teamsters organizers contend the walk-out has been disruptive. According to one Teamsters spokesman, out-of-town replacement workers in Atlanta spent much of Tuesday "driving around Atlanta getting lost," says a report in the Savannah (GA) Morning News.On Wednesday, the company rejected a Teamster proposal to have strikers return in exchange for a meeting to discuss alleged unfair labor practices. The company insists all employees must return with no pre-conditions and that any complaints about the company's practices must go through proper legal channels through the National Labor Relations Board.